The Best Way To Store Fuel?

Reader question: What is the best way to store fuel, gasoline or kerosene? I was thinking of burring a 55 gallon drum with the top at ground level, with a hand pump for access. Do you paint the drum with tar? What do you suggest on both issues?

Gasoline is probably the hardest fuel to store for any length of time. It has a high vapor pressure (which means it evaporates quickly) and will go stale in a few weeks if not chemically treated. Stored gasoline must be treated with an additive like STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer (pretty good) or even better… PRI-G (gasoline) or PRI-D (diesel), and protected from moisture if it is to be stored for any length of time. Gasoline has an auto-ignition temperature of 536-degrees Fahrenheit (the minimum temperature required to ignite a gas or vapor in air without a spark or flame being present).

Kerosene is one of the easiest fuels to store, and is more versatile than most people think. It does not evaporate as readily as gasoline and will remain stable in storage with no special treatment. Many pre-1950 farm tractor engines were designed to run on kerosene, and diesels will run on kerosene if necessary. With an auto-ignition temperature very similar to gasoline, kerosene will auto-ignite in air at 563-degrees F.

With regards to smaller fuel storage containers, use only approved containers. While there are approved plastic containers, these often have caps or seals that can get lost. The best way to safely store gasoline is in a heavy duty, self-closing approved metal gasoline safety can marked with letters UL (approved by Underwriters Laboratory).

…a few common-sense precautions

Keep gasoline out of children’s sight and reach.

Never store gasoline in glass containers or non-reusable plastic containers such as milk jugs.

Store only enough gasoline necessary to power equipment and let machinery cool before refueling it.

Never use gasoline inside the home or as a cleaning agent.

Clean up spills promptly and discard clean-up materials properly.

Do not smoke when handling gasoline.

Never use gasoline in place of kerosene.

Only fill portable gasoline containers outdoors. Place the container on the ground before filling and never fill containers inside a vehicle or in the bed of a pick-up truck.

If the storage location is permanent, and you are considering using a buried tank, set it below the frost line where temperatures are stable at 55° F or so, which will inhibit evaporation. If buried fuel tanks offend your sense of environmental responsibility, then consider above ground storage, or an underground vault which has the added advantage of being able to inspect the tanks from time to time.

55-gallon steel drums can be useful for above-ground storage, vertical with a hand pump or horizontally mounted on a rack with a spigot valve. An advantage to this method is that it is portable (compared to underground storage). Store in a shaded place because sunlight will speed up the oxidation process of the fuel and temperature swings will cause condensation to form at the bottom (keep a valve at the bottom to periodically drain for this purpose). Keeping the tank near full will reduce chances of condensation. You could use a fuel filter at the output valve to separate the water from fuel if this is a concern.

Although you should consult your local regulations regarding underground (and above ground) fuel storage, ‘if’ one were to decide to bury a 55-gallon steel drum, know that all steel tanks will eventually leak, a not so good prospect if underground. If you must store fuel underground, you should use purpose-built underground storage tanks. Otherwise, be sure to at least coat the tank exterior with many coats of rust inhibitor and/or coat with a thick coat of heavy roofing tar which will help significantly.

Note: “Poly” drums (the type for water storage) are made of high density plastic, and should not be used to store fuel because over time, the fuel will react with the plastic and gradually deteriorate the drum interior.

Today, the recommended UST (Underground Storage Tank) for fuel are made of double-wall fiberglass reinforced plastic.

Regarding EPA regulations:
The following USTs do not need to meet federal requirements for USTs:

Farm and residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less capacity holding motor fuel used for noncommercial purposes;

Tanks storing heating oil used on the premises where it is stored;

Tanks on or above the floor of underground areas, such as basements or tunnels;

Septic tanks and systems for collecting storm water and wastewater;

Flow-through process tanks;

Tanks of 110 gallons or less capacity; and

Emergency spill and overfill tanks.

To directly answer the question of what is the best way to store fuel… If you’re talking about quantities like 55-gallon drums, the safest way is underground provided that you are using approved UST’s. I would seriously look at what is available for fiberglass reinforced tanks, although this will cost more than an ordinary steel drum. I do like the notion of portability if stored above ground. Depending on your property, it may be simple enough to discretely hide it.

Be very aware that unlike years ago, today’s fuels are refined such that they will not last long in storage, due to EPA regulations. So you will need to rotate what you have.

Just remember to do your due-diligence to research the best solutions for you and your location.

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@woodnick, found this on a board somewhere… “but a guy who was a kero dealer for 20 years gave us some straight info regarding shelf life of K-1. He said it will keep for years will no problem (no precise number of years). As Chuck mentioned, it can can moldy as water separates from the kero over time (though less likely with K-1), so a plastic container is better (due to rust). He also mentioned that the water separates to the bottom of the container. So pour off the good stuff and discard when you hit water/mold.”

I’ve also read that ultra pure lamp oil will last nearly indefinitely. So, if both lamp oil and kerosene last for at least several years, it seems to me that it comes down to price and preferences. For example, I believe that ultra pure lamp oil will burn cleaner, which may be a better situation for indoors. My own experience with these lamps are with lamp oil, so I cannot offer a hands-on comparison to kerosene.

About Lamp oil.
Olive oil costs about as much as good other fuels depending on the source and the bulk you buy.
The advantage is that you can eat Olive oil, It grows out of the ground, and if it gets rancid, it burns even better.
I am testing my new Olive oil, mason jar wicks as I write for the first time.
I surely wish that I had known how clean and long Olive oil burns before now.
My eyes and lungs paid the price for burning cheap Kerosene by the five gallons when I lived off grid in the 80’s. And the wicks for kerosene lanterns are specific.
An Olive oil lamp can burn a scrap of a cotton T-shirt as a wick.
Think of all the ‘old’ movies that take place before electricity and fossil fuel, – Conan, and Cleopatra and the the Ten Commandments. Roman Times! They burnt oil for light!

By the way, the oil in the jar burned for ever 9 hours on less than 2 ounces of oil. We finally blew it out and there is still oil in the jar. The jar got very warm but I could still hold it and the glass gave off a nice reflective light. NO smoke, No fumes or odors. I am sold on oil for light. Any kind of oil can be burnt with varying degrees of success. Even bacon fat.
Also, the oil is less volatile if split and more than likely would just go out rather than spread a fire like kerosene would.

I ordered my metal wick holders, some initial wick and the $5 book – ‘I Didn’t Know That Olive Oil Would Burn!‘ from ‘Lehmans’ catalog on line. Now I know the thickness of metal and wicks and can make my own going forward.
Give it try, I think you will like it!

My experience: 12 years working at the Fuels Management Section, many AFBs
in the Air Force; worked in fuel bulk storage, hydrant system and drove flight line fuel trucks of 5000 gal. So i know what I’m talking about.

My experience with jet fuel, av-gas, diesel, mo-gas and bunker fuel:
Suspended water is squeezed out of the fuel as it cools (in the fall/winter as in Goose Bay, Labradore, Canada)- the fuel will absorb that same water back into the fuel as it warms (spring/summer). When it is sitting at the bottom of the fuel tank it may be drained away.

Any water in a metal fuel container will cause rust flakes that will plug your fuel filter, fuel line, injectors, etc. Rust is your enemy. Get rid of the water.

Water in jet fuel or av-gas is kept from freezing by an additive called Fuel System Icing Inhibitor (FSII). If the jet fuel or av-gas did not have the FSII the water would plug the fuel system screens, pumps and fuel lines of an aircraft.

I want to store my gasoline that is in either a one gallon or 5 gallon plastic gas tank either in my garage or a locked metal box with holes in ity. I’m thinking the reason for the holes is so any vapors won’t accumulate and the reason for the metal box is that if something would ignite the metal would contain the fire. Would it be safe?

Survival blog topics for a life of preparedness and risk awareness; emergency and disaster or threats thereof.

MSB

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